# 2026-16687: Feds Pay Workers 25% Extra to Start Controlled Forest Fires Safely

2026-16687, Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities, is a Federal Register rule from Personnel Management Office published 2026-08-14, effective 2026-09-14; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16687
- As of: 2026-08-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-16687
- Title: Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Personnel Management Office
- Citation: 91 FR 52479
- Published: 2026-08-14
- Effective: 2026-09-14
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: yes (FR_METADATA)
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 3206-AO76
- Last updated: 2026-08-21

## In one line

Feds Pay Workers 25% Extra to Start Controlled Forest Fires Safely

## Summary

Starting September 14, 2026, federal employees who work on planned wildland fires will get a 25% pay boost for their risky fireline duties. This new rule affects General Schedule and Federal Wage System workers who help control these fires, making their tough jobs a bit more rewarding. It’s a win for firefighters who keep our forests safe with planned burns!

## Abstract

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule to add prescribed (planned) wildland fire duties as covered activities triggering payment of Hazardous Duty Pay (HDP) for General Schedule (GS) employees and Environmental Differential Pay (EDP) for Federal Wage System (FWS) employees. The final rule authorizes a 25 percent differential for GS and FWS employees participating as a member of a firefighting crew engaged in activities on the fireline directly involving the implementation and control of prescribed wildland fires.

## Effects PRIA read

- 25% Pay Boost for Prescribed Burns: benefit, high. Starting September 14, 2026, General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS) federal employees who are members of a firefighting crew working on the fireline directly implementing and controlling a prescribed wildland fire will receive a 25 percent pay differential for those duties. The rule ap…
- GW / 0456 Firefighters Included: benefit, medium. OPM clarifies that references to 'GS' employees include employees paid under the GW pay plan and the 0456 Wildland Fire Management occupational series, so qualifying GW-0456 wildland firefighters are eligible for the 25 percent differential when they meet the duty-based criteria. Eligibility is det…
- Pre-Ignition Work Not Covered: cost, low. The rule does not authorize the 25 percent differential for pre-ignition preparatory activities; the differential is limited to active fireline work after ignition (ignition, holding, patrol, mop-up, snag felling, etc.). If you only perform pre-ignition staging or preparation, you will not receive…
- Estimated Employees Affected and Agency Costs: cost, low. OPM estimated that about 10,000 GS employees and 2,500 FWS employees (primarily at USDA and DOI) could be affected. USDA estimated the annual cost to provide these differentials at about $20 million, and DOI estimated about $12.5 million annually (OPM also cites DOI FY2026 and FY2027 estimates of r…

## Related documents

- [2026-22093](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22093): Personnel Management in Agencies: Strategic Human Capital Management, 2026-10-29
- [2026-21316](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21316): Managing Senior Professional Performance, 2026-10-19
- [2026-19222](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19222): Employment in the Excepted Service, 2026-09-18
- [2026-18800](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18800): Reduction in Force; Correction, 2026-09-15
- [2026-18828](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18828): Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions, 2026-09-15
- [2026-15650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15650): Suitability Action Appeals, 2026-08-03

## Sources
- [2026-16687 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/14/2026-16687/differential-pay-for-prescribed-wildland-fire-activities)
- [2026-16687 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-14/pdf/2026-16687.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-16672, Airworthiness Directives; Air Tractor, Inc. Airplanes](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16672)
- [Next: 2026-16701, Establishment of the Columbia Hills Viticultural Area](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16701)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16687 (as of 2026-08-21).